# What is the origin of the name pair "James Earl"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597 "2020-06-22T14:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/1 "2020-06-22T14:26:37Z")
So, you have James Earl Jones; and I also knew Jimmy Carter’s full name was actually James Earl Carter, Jr.; and more infamously you have James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King. I just recently found out that the full name of James Chaney (one of the three murdered civil rights activists in the “Mississippi Burning” murders) was James Earl Chaney. There seem to be quite a few other people who are (or were) named “James Earl \_\_\_\_\_”. I’m not looking for a comprehensive list, though, but more if anyone has any idea of the origin of the combination. Are all these people ultimately (perhaps indirectly) named after someone who was the _first_ “James Earl \_\_\_\_\_”? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/2 "2020-06-22T14:34:13Z")
James Earl Jones was the son of Robert Earl Jones (also an actor, most noted for the role of Luther Coleman in _The Sting_, so I don’t think in his case there is anything special about the combination “James Earl”. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/3 "2020-06-22T14:44:19Z")
Probably not the original James Earl, but it is interesting that the first head of state ever assassinated by firearm was James, Earl of Moray, the regent of Scotland in 1570. However, he is associated with Presbyterianism and I suspect most James Earls were Baptists. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/4 "2020-06-22T15:49:53Z")
This may simply be a case of confirmation bias. You could probably pick any two random common names and find a bunch of celebrities or notorious people who have that as their first and middle names. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/5 "2020-06-22T17:09:14Z")
Kinda like [Wayne](https://www.insidehook.com/article/news-opinion/amount-murderers-murder-suspects-middle-name-wayne-insane) being a nefarious middle name. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/6 "2020-06-22T17:35:32Z")
Especially when combined with the first name “John”, but it’s pretty obvious where that combination comes from - [Marion Morrison.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne) ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/7 "2020-06-22T18:35:55Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > This may simply be a case of confirmation bias. You could probably pick any two random common names and find a bunch of celebrities or notorious people who have that as their first and middle names. Oh, to be sure, confirmation bias is always potentially a thing. It just seemed to me that there is a pattern of guys being named “James Earl \_\_\_\_\_” in a way that there doesn’t seem to be a pattern of guys being named “John Duke \_\_\_\_\_” or “Henry King \_\_\_\_\_\_\_”. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/8 "2020-06-23T21:54:23Z")
I think it might be the “Earl” that’s making it seem like more of a pattern than it actually is , because Earl is not a terribly common name, first or middle. There are no doubt loads of people named William Joseph/James Robert/John Anthony or any other combination of two common names , but you wouldn’t necessarily see it as a pattern if you knew of five of them. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-of-the-name-pair-james-earl/911597/9 "2020-06-24T02:19:47Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > It just seemed to me that there is a pattern of guys being named “James Earl \_\_\_\_\_” in a way that there doesn’t seem to be a pattern of guys being named “John Duke \_\_\_\_\_” or “Henry King \_\_\_\_\_\_\_”. In many cases, the middle name Earl is from a father, grandfather, or other relative. (That’s true for a whole lot of middle names. Mine included.) But neither Duke or King are common names. (For humans. Pretty common for dogs, though.)